Nintendo has been very quiet lately in regards to their Switch online service, which was originally set to launch in full during the Autumn of 2017; however it was since then delayed until a later time. Recently, last week the current president of Nintendo revealed that new details regarding the Switch Online service would soon be announced sometime during early May, and that fans should stay tuned to the official Nintendo website for details as they become available.
Now, Nintendo has finally updated the page with some brand new details regarding the Switch online service – including some new features that will launch alongside the service. First and foremost, however, the service will remain quite cheap, as the company has promised- and is overall much more affordable than other online subscriptions which are present on other gaming platforms. Individual plans start at $3.99 a month, with a three month option available for $7.99, and a entire year for $19.99. Nintendo has also announced a Family Plan, which will go for $34.99 a year, with this, a user can invite seven other players to join their family group, with each users getting the full benefits of the paid online service.
As far as new features are concerned, Nintendo has finally confirmed the long-time rumor of cloud saves, which is something that has been present on other platforms for awhile now, but is most definitely a very well-welcomed feature to the Nintendo Switch. Nintenod has slso concerned that they will offer retro games for online subscribers, though not through a Virtual Console service as many may have expected. While Nintendo did not confirm any further details regarding this supposed new “Virtual Console” like service, the company did state that these retro titles will have online multiplayer support to some degree – with Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Ice Climbers already having been confirmed.
Overall, it will be interesting to see what more Nintendo has in store for their online service on the Nintendo Switch. With many more games likely to be supported via the Nintendo Switch Online app, players will have more way’s to play with their friends and communicate while in-game – something that has definitely been lacking with the Switch’s online service.
It’s quite likely we’ll hear much more about the Online Service during Nintendo’s E3 2018 Live Direct Presentation. In the meantime, what are your hopes for the Switch’s Online service? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
